Denver Broncos 2016: AFC West Preview – Week Four

Sep 25, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88) runs the ball for a touchdown against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris (37) and safety George Iloka (43) in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. Denver defeated the Cincinnati 29-17. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88) runs the ball for a touchdown against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris (37) and safety George Iloka (43) in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. Denver defeated the Cincinnati 29-17. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
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Oakland Raiders Sean Smith
Sep 25, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Oakland Raiders cornerback Sean Smith (21) celebrates after defeating the Tennessee Titans 17-10 at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland Raiders at Baltimore Ravens: Will the real Oakland Raiders defense please stand up?  For the first few weeks of the season, I continuously commented on the porous Raiders passing defense and was on the verge of giving up on my monitoring of the high expectations put on the black-and-silver.  

Then the Raiders travel to Tennessee in week three and put up a good defensive performance, holding the Tennessee Titans to only ten points.  So, can the Raiders do it two weeks in a row?

My gut tells me no – doing it against a young quarterback in Tennessee is one thing, doing it against a seasoned quarterback like Joe Flacco is another… plus, the Ravens, as much as I hate to say it, are a consistently high-performing team.  

Of the five undefeated teams in the league, the Ravens are one of them!  Since it is so hard to predict professional football given the infinite number of variables that impact a game, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the Raiders hand the Ravens their first loss of the season but I just don’t think it will happen.

Prediction: Oakland 21, Baltimore 31 – by no means will the Ravens walk all over the Raiders and Derek Carr will once again put people on notice that the Raiders are improving.

Schedule